Darryl Boyer, one of three Republican candidates in the primary for the state House seat that Paul Renner is relinquishing in 2024, said today that Donald O’Brien, one of the other two competitors for that seat, told him he was likely dropping out of the race.
At the same time, George Hanns, the former county commissioner who said he’d be running in 2024 to recapture the seat he lost to O’Brien in 2016, said today he will no longer do so, now that Pam Richardson, the Realtor-broker, has joined the race. Hanns is supporting Richardson in a Republican contest that so far also includes Ed Danko, the current Palm Coast City Council member, and Victor Barbosa, the former Palm Coast City Council member.
Boyer, like Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin, like County Commissioner Dave Sullivan, like Republican Executive Committee Chairman Perry Mitrano, had heard the rumor that O’Brien was dropping out. Boyer called him.
“Apparently he may be dropping out the house race,” Boyer said today. “It’s just not the right time, he wants to focus on his family and start supporting the next generation of conservatives. He did say that he looks at me as the next generation, so that’s good.” O’Brien did not respond to an email sent to his business (he works at Hayward Brown-Flagler, the insurance company) or his Gmail account.
O’Brien is in the seventh year on the Flagler County Commission. He declared his run for the House last February. He was buoyed that month by an early burst in local thousand-dollar contributions, especially from those associated with the business and development community (see the full list here). Then the contributions just as suddenly stopped, aside from one in March, one in April, one in May. They total $27,250 in the kind of race not easily won with less than $200,000, though it’s still early.
O’Brien does not appear to have launched a campaign website, a Facebook page or the other usual social media noise-makers of contemporary political campaigns. His X (formerly Twitter) page was last updated with a reminder that June 1 was the beginning of hurricane season. It has 105 followers. He was more ubiquitous at public, civic or government events when he was just a commissioner in his first term.
Boyer has raised $22,000, but from a far longer, more varied list that continues to accrue contributions (see the list here). Neither Boyer nor O’Brien comes close to the treasure chest of James St. George, the physician and businessman from St. Johns County who’s amassed nearly $200,000. Even accounting for the $100,000 of his own that he put in, his contributors have given more than three to four times as much as to either Boyer or O’Brien, though not a single one of those contributions is from Flagler County. (See the list here.) St. George has not yet been too visible in Flagler, where the majority of votes are in the district. He ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 2020.
Though he had ruled it out after considering it earlier this year, Alfin said today that he again is not ruling out a run for the state House, though that possibility is slim and garbled in caveats.
“I committed to stay in my current seat as long as I would be favored by the public and elected. I have no plan to change that, but again it’ll be up to the voters in a year’s time,” Alfin said. “I’m sticking to my guns with that.” But moments later he said he would also consider running for the House seat “if I was certain that we were going to lose our voce in Tallahassee from Flagler.” So he would give that “due consideration,” but only to then say that “it would be hard for me to convince me that I couldn’t offer more here locally.”
Adam Morley, a Democrat from St. Johns County, is again running for the House seat.
Richardson filed to run for the District 5 County Commission seat last week. By this weekend at Princess Place Preserve, where Hanns was relentlessly giving tours of the lodge to visitors at the Creekside Music and Arts Festival, Hanns was telling people he would not run for that seat.
“I have nothing to prove, my name is on every building in this county, I have accomplished a tremendous amount of work and I continue to give tours at Princess Place,” he said. “I do believe that Pam Richardson would be a good commissioner, and she’s kind of a non-sense person.” Hanns says he “doesn’t want certain people in there,” and he thinks Richardson would ensure that. He’s leaving a door of his own slightly ajar for a possible run for a Palm Coast seat.
Richardson has run two campaigns. She ran for a Palm Coast City Council seat in 2016, actually polling the highest in the primary in a three-way race, ahead of Nick Klufas, 42 to 38.5, with Anita Moder getting 19.4 percent. Klufas and Richardson faced off in the run-off. Klufas won, 53-47, on the strength of Moeder’s Democratic vote (Klufas then as now was a Republican). Richardson also ran for Supervisor of Elections in 2012. She won 34 percent of the vote in a four-way Republican primary, less than a point short of Trey Corbett, who went on to lose to Kimberle Weeks, who won her second term before going on to an indictment and convictions on felony charges.
Richardson is a local resident of nearly 20 years. “People have wants and needs and desires, and they’re strong about their feelings, and I want to bring a positive tone to the dais with compromise and the voice of reason,” Richardson said. “I have a lot of leadership experience, and I think I can bring that to the table as well, respectfully.”
Danko texted his reaction to Richardson’s run with characteristic Dankoness: “Any RINO can say they will be a voice of reason and positive tone, but will she never vote to raise taxes? Will she fight against liberal WOKENESS? Does she stand with law-enforcement? Will she support our second amendment rights? Will she defend parents rights? Does she support President Trump? I am an America first Republican, is she?”
Taxes and the sheriff’s budget aside, the other issues Danko refers to have a lot of currency on national, ideological television and radio shows, but not much relevance to the day-to-day governance of Flagler County, and the president, at the moment and at least through next year’s election, is not Trump.
Flaglerman says
I think he’s making the smart choice. As County Commissioner O’Brien acted more like a “POTTED PLANT” than an elected official. O’Brien usually just sits on the dais with his head buried in his phone. Whenever controversial topics arise he went into full politician mode by either abstaining or just not showing up.
As a candidate for state representative, O’Brien had all the excitement and energy of a bottle of sleeping pills.
The dude says
So, as has been the case since I first set foot in Flagler or Palm Coast, another election with the same old tired, failed retreads.
These people are literally responsible for the condition of Flagler and Palm Coast today. And simply allowing them to play musical chairs with various city and county seats changes any of this how exactly?
“Does she support President Trump? I am an America first Republican, is she?”
Words from his own lying pie hole. Sounds like the nasty little lawn troll Danko is trump first, not America first. But I guess we already knew this.
Laurel says
Dude: I fully agree with you here.
The dude says
I know you’ve taken issue with my coarseness on a number of things. But we’re very much in alignment on most things, I promise. I’m just not especially articulate sometimes.
Peace.
Laurel says
Peace to you too! :)
Me says
Wise up and vote Blue.
The dude says
Tribalism in response to tribalism is nothing but a race to the bottom.
That’s how we got here.
James says
Victor Barbosa?!? Am I reading this right?!?… In a race for the same seat as Danko is running for?
Unbelievable.
Alfin sure was right, the “Republican bench” is getting so thin they can’t even find respectable also-ran shill candidates to make things look good.
Just an observation.
Treeman says
RINO Dumbko always Votes like a DemoRAT to please the Carpetbagger Developers while calling everyone else a RINO!! He REFUSES to listen to what the REAL Conservatives of Palm Coast and Flagler County want!! He is just trying to ride on the coat tail of Trump and after he completely SCREWS Flagler County he will move to another state and start the same BULLSHIT campaign!
Concerned Citizen says
If Barbosa is running for anything we need clarification on his Costa Rica troubles.
That somehow got conveniently swept under the rug. Not all of us voters have short term memories ;)
James says
I think they’re figuring most voters that remember Barbosa have already moved out of Flagler… and perhaps Florida.
At an average of four months time for someone to decide as to whether to stay or go, that’s quite possible.
How long has it been now? About two years since we last heard of him. ;-)
BLINDSPOTTING says
From what I understand this woman is a realitor and this we don’t need on the county.
Laurel says
“…Pam Richardson, the Realtor-broker, has joined the race.”
NO MORE TRUMLICAN REAL ESTATE SALESPEOPLE/BROKERS!
This is how Flagler County got into the mess it’s in now. Vote them out, don’t rotate them in! They are not working for us, they are working for themselves.
C’mon man says
As a republican voter I don’t want any of these people to win. Danko, Barbosa, and/or another realtor??
Jo says
Richardson might be a realtor, but I do not think I have ever met someone who loves Palm Coast more than she does. She is a long time resident and has witnessed the growth and changes in PC. Maybe we should listen to what she has to say, before we judge?
Laurel says
No thanks. How much more of this over building do we need? Do you seriously think she doesn’t want to sell more houses? Yeah, realtors always “love” Florida. Why do you figure? Don’t be suckered yet again. Enough is enough. The housing market is going to crash again, probably around 2025, no matter who’s in the oval office, and certain areas of over building will feel the most of it. The Florida coast has over building.
BLINDSPOTTING says
Laurel: 100 % AGREE!
palmcoaster says
No more realtors and we have two new one’s running. We do not need anymore negative unmanaged growth over greed.
We need to ask all candidates running their opinion about rezoning, spot zoning and special exceptions given to existing residential zoning backing up negative and ill managed growth! What is their opinion about these ever increasing airport training schools for mostly worldwide students doing touch and goes 300 feet or less from homes roofs in Quail Hollow and Seminole Woods and rounds and rounds allover coastal Palm Coast while dropping lead from the Avgas. only fuel their small piston driven aircraft use all over our Palm Coast communities. Palmcoasters bought their homes knowing was adjacent to a golf course and not rezoned for multifamily, adjacent to 5.5 units per acre not 22.9 units per acre, adjacent to a resort hotel, restaurant, bar and fuel providing marina and not rezoned for condos or townhouses, adjacent to an Executive Airport and not a Training Field for pilot teaching schools mostly for worldwide students, adjacent to PSP lots were public services can operate but non for profit installations intending to install 150ft tall 5G cell towers at barely 150 feet from our homes affecting our health and the value of our homes. We need city council and county commission candidates that will have this platform for Palmcoasters and also county commissioners that will work to provide this county residents with the affordable cable and internet grid connections and road improvements ignored for too long! Also appropriate emergency services response when called..